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Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia seguine
Also known as: Dumb Cane

Dieffenbachia is a vegetable in the Araceae family. It grows best in bright indirect light with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 10-12.

Varieties

1 · sorted by days to maturity
  • Dieffenbachia

    PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Tropical houseplant (cuttings) (not in original seed catalog). Use: Bold variegated foliage; low-light tolerant. Note: Sap is toxic to pets and people (calcium oxalate) - hence "dumb cane".

    Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia seguine), or dumb cane, is a tropical foliage plant with large cream-marbled leaves; easy but its sap is toxic, causing painful mouth swelling if chewed.

    Growing notes: Botanical name: Dieffenbachia seguine|Hardiness zones: 10-12|Propagation: cutting|Light: Bright indirect light|Water: Medium|Mature size: 2-6 feet

Family
Araceae
Category
Vegetable
Form
Bush
Lifecycle
perennial
Zone
10-12
Height
2–6 ft
Spread
2–3 ft
Sun
Bright indirect light
Water
Medium

Plan your dieffenbachia planting

Add dieffenbachia to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.

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At a glance

Frost tolerance
Warm-season · to ~55°F
Lowest temperature the foliage usually survives

Storing & preserving

Most keep best refrigerated; storage crops prefer a cool, dry spot.

  • Freeze: Blanch briefly, cool, then freeze — keeps color and texture.
  • Can: Pressure-can low-acid vegetables; water-bath only pickled/acidified ones.

General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Growing timeline

Propagation
Cutting

Care & troubleshooting

No curated care & troubleshooting advice for dieffenbachia yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.